When the Electoral Prince of Saxony came hither, he addressed a pretty compliment to the King, which we all thought was his own, and we therefore conceived a very favourable notion of his parts.  He did not, however, keep up that good opinion, and probably the compliment was made for him by the Elector-Palatine.  The King desired the Duchesse de Berri to show him about Marly.  He walked with her for an hour without ever offering her his arm or saying one word to her.  While they were ascending a small hill, the Palatine, his Governor, nodded to him; and as the Prince did not understand what he meant, he was at length obliged to say to him, “Offer your arm to the Duchesse de Berri.”  The Prince obeyed, but without saying a word.  When they reached the summit, “Here,” said the Duchesse de Berri, “is a nice place for blindman’s buff.”  Then, for the first time, he opened his mouth, and said, “Oh, yes; I am very willing to play.”  Madame de Berri was too much fatigued to play; but the Prince continued amusing himself the whole day without offering the least civility to the Duchess, who had taken such pains for him.  This will serve to show how puerile the Prince is.

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We have had here several good repartees of Duke Bernard von Weimar.  One day a young Frenchman asked him, “How happened it that you lost the battle?”—­“I will tell you, sir,” replied the Duke, coolly; “I thought I should win it, and so I lost it.  But,” he said, turning himself slowly round, “who is the fool that asked me this question?”

Father Joseph was in great favour with Cardinal Richelieu, and was consulted by him on all occasions.  One day, when the Cardinal had summoned Duke Bernard to the Council, Father Joseph, running his finger over a map, said, “Monsieur, you must first take this city; then that, and then that.”  The Duke Bernard listened to him for some time, and at length said, “But, Monsieur Joseph, you cannot take cities with your finger.”  This story always made the King laugh heartily.

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M. de Brancas was very deeply in love with the lady whom he married.  On his wedding-day he went to take a bath, and was afterwards going to bed at the bath-house.  “Why are you going to bed here, sir?” said his valet de chambre; “do you not mean to go to your wife?”—­“I had quite forgotten,” he replied.  He was the Queen-mother’s chevalier d’honneur.  One day, while she was at church, Brancas forgot that the Queen was kneeling before him, for as her back was very round, her head could hardly be seen when she hung it down.  He took her for a prie-dieu, and knelt down upon her, putting his elbows upon her shoulders.  The Queen was of course not a little surprised to find her chevalier d’honneur upon her back, and all the bystanders were ready to die with laughing.